Texas State sweeps UTSA

Recommended Video:

Sunday's series finale between UTSA and Texas State was a microcosm of their respective seasons.

The Roadrunners played well in spurts but ultimately faltered in key moments. The Bobcats, as personified by pitcher Carson Smith, found a way to win.

Two days after hurling a two-hit shutout in the series opener, Smith sealed Texas State's 11-10 victory with a one-inning save Sunday at Roadrunner Field.

“He wants to be out there,” Bobcats coach Ty Harrington said. “When you're going after a championship, you need guys to step up like that.”

Texas State (28-14 overall, 18-6 Southland Conference) maintained a 1 1/2-game lead over Stephen F. Austin atop the league standings with its first sweep of the Roadrunners since 1997.

UTSA (14-27, 5-19) remained tied for last with Central Arkansas, six games out of the eighth and final tournament berth with nine to be played.

The Roadrunners led 5-1 after two innings and 8-4 after four but were unable to protect their lead thanks to a handful of key letdowns.

In one instance, Daniel Rockett lined into a double play with a 3-1 count, squandering a two-on, no-out opportunity.

In another, Tyler Carpenter dropped what would have been the third out in right field, leading to a pair of unearned runs.

“We had some situations where we really shot ourselves in the foot,” UTSA coach Sherman Corbett said. “That really hindered our chance to keep the momentum. We just weren't consistent.”

Texas State fueled its comeback with a pair of home runs, a three-run bomb by Kyle Kubitza in the fourth and Andrew Stumph's two-run shot in the seventh.

The latter snapped a tie at 8-8, paving the way for Smith's heroics. He made things interesting, yielding a leadoff single to Carpenter and falling behind 3-0 to Lance Brown with one out, before striking out Ryan Rummel to end the game.

“I'm proud of the way we responded after we fell behind,” Harrington said. “We did a good job adjusting and getting big hits.”